I'm finally updating the next chapter. Thank you for reading!

Eyes On Fire

Chapter 8

When You Break by Bear's Den

You could never live out in the open… Regretting every word you've spoken... When you break it's too late for you to fall apart, and the blame that you claim is all your own fault.

You've been crying out for forever, but forever's come and gone. You keep begging for forgiveness, but you don't think you've done wrong. You've been crying out for forever. Forever's come and gone. My bleeding hands… my shaking head…

Ino held her nose up. When she woke up her nose was bleeding again and complained that it was throbbing. Hinata sat next to her on the couch. Sakura walked downstairs with the phone in her hand.

"Are you sure it's okay for us to come by real quick?" Sakura said to Tsunade over the phone. "Really? Thank you Tsunade!"

"She'll see me?" Ino asked. She sounded funny with her nose closed.

"Yeah, as payment we just have to bring her 3 packs of Corona." Sakura said.

"Can you guys even walk into a hospital with 3 packs of beer?" Hinata asked. A cup of hot tea sat on the low table in front of her.

"She'll meet us at the door, so we'll be allowed in." Sakura said.

It sounded odd to Hinata and Ino but they wouldn't say anything. Sakura would bring alcohol to the Tsunade at the hospital pretty often. Tsunade was a heavy drinker, and since Sakura used her as personal doctor most the time, she paid her personally with whatever she asked for. In short Tsunade was like an aunt to Sakura.

Ino got up slowly and Hinata guided her to the door. Sakura opened the door for her and took her to the car from there. Hinata grabbed her keys quickly so she could move her car from in front of the drive way. Sakura drove out, and Hinata parked her car in the drive way instead. She went back into the house and sat the couch. She picked up her tea and took a sip, and listened to the silence in the house. She woke feeling pretty good today, even though she did have a dream about when her mother died last night. She liked thinking about the 8 years with her mom that she enjoyed even though she could only remember at least three of those years. Outside was nice, bird sang outside, and anything bothering her before wasn't taking as much of a toll.

Hinata hand holding her cup went slightly limp, and her other hand fell to her side. Her head fell all the way back. Sasuke sat across from her, comfortably on the opposite couch facing her.

A 9 year old Hinata wrote in a notebook unaware of anything else around her. Small bags formed around her eyes. She flipped a page in a finance textbook her father had bought her. She glanced at the clock, and made a note that she had 30 minutes left before she had to move on to learning English for international business. A three year old Hanabi ran into her room, and hugged her from behind. Hinata was pried her sisters arms off of her back, then faced her. Hanabi took the opportunity to jump on her sister again, causing them both to fall back. Hanabi giggled without a care in the word, Hinata couldn't help but smile and laugh along with her. Hanabi got off of her sister and jumped up and down.

"Braid my hair!"

"I can't right now Hanabi." Hinata frowned. "I have to finish the work father gave me."

"Pwease!" Hanabi put on a huge cheesy smile on her face. "You no braid my hair no more!"

Hinata made a fake sigh. "What type of braid?"

"Fishtail!" Hanabi hesitated. "No fwench! I want fwench!"

Hanabi plopped herself down in front of Hinata. Hinata started braiding her silky brown hair.

"Hina-chan! Today at school dey taught us how to count to 30, but I alwedy know how to count to count to 80!" Hanabi said proudly. "And I drew a really pwetty butterfly, that was peach, blue, and green."

Their father wasted no time in putting Hanabi in nursery school when she turned three. She was already pretty smart for her age, she could talk in pretty full sentences. Hanabi would sometimes talk to Hinata about her day in school. Hinata noticed how long Hanabi's hair was now, past shoulder length.

"Finished!" Hinata put a hair tie on Hanabi's hair to make sure the French braid would stay.

Hinata touched her own hair, realizing how long her own hair was. Her dark blue velvet-ish looking hair she got from her mother. Past shoulder-length just like Hanabi's. Hinata played with the end of her hair.

'Maybe I'll grow it out to look like moms…' Hinata thought.

"Why don't you go to school anymore Hinata?" Hanabi asked her.

Hinata tensed up a little bit. She used to be in school until last year. She'd been in nursery, Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade so far. Shortly after her mother died though, her father pulled her out of school mid-year and she received a home tutor, where she also learned finance and business along with advanced math, history, Japanese, English, and science. She hadn't seen the friends she made since last year. At one point sometimes they would come over and try to see her, but they were never allowed past the doo, so they stopped coming.

"Oh… ugh… father wanted me to learn from home for now on." Hinata said.

"Why?" Hanabi asked. "Is it that cuz' you're gonna be the next boss?"

Hinata nodded slowly. "Yeah… I'm going to be the next boss…"

Hinata's room door opened abruptly, and her father looked down at them with stern eyes. Hanabi and Hinata froze up. Their father did say anything. Hanabi shut her mouth up too.

"How many times have I told you not to interrupt your sisters in your study?"

Hanabi nodded real quick, kissed her sister in the cheeks while giving her a big hug and ran out the stared down upon Hinata who looked down at the floor.

"Look up!"

Her head shot up. It was hard for her to keep eye contact with him and not twiddle her fingers.

"You should've told her to leave when she entered her room."

"Y-Yes."

"Don't stutter."

"…Yes."

"What were we doing instead of studying?"

"Hanabi asked me to… braid her hair."

"Next time, you tell her to leave."

"Yes sir."

Hiashi's eyes became more intense, and Hinata had to look back down. Her hair blocked her face.

"You're hair has grown, it's time to get it cut."

"A-Actually… I wanted to grow out my hair…"

"Why?"

"To look like… mom's."

Hiashi pressed his lips together, and anger flashed in his eyes.

"You're not allowed too. Tomorrow your hair will be cut."

"B-But-"

"No buts. It's getting cut tomorrow."

"I won't ask for anything else, b-but I really want my hair to look like-"

He balled his hand into a fist. He stormed into her closest, where her old arts and craft tools were. He pulled out a pair of kid friendly scissors, and cut her hair. Hinata watched her hair fall to the ground. She felt life a lump was in her throat, she couldn't speak. Hiashi saw the look despair on her face, and an uncontrollable feeling of guilt came about him.

"Your hair will be trimmed and styled tomorrow."

He stormed out the room without another word. Leaving her to stare down at her locks of hair on the floor.

Hinata's hand twitched a little bit on the couch. Sasuke stared at her. A 9 year old learning about how to run a business? Some shitty childhood she had. Her father seemed unbearable. Any adult who would cut their own child's hair like that had issues.

'So maybe you don't just wear a stupid smile on your face.' Sasuke thought to himself. He looked at her long hair that probably reached down to her lower back. 'On to the next.'

Hinata stood behind her father who sat in a huge chair at the end of table in the conference meeting.

"Meeting dismissed." Her father said. She glanced back at Hinata. "You can sit in my chair is you like. Don't leave, I'm going to talk to some people."

Hinata nodded, and he left the room.

Hinata's father wanted her to start observing how he held business meetings, how to act during them, how to present or transition into topic's, and etc. It was a three hour meeting, with three breaks for those who attended. Her feet would usually hurt by the end of them. She wore casual business attire. She heard some business men whispering and glancing at her. She was also used to that attention. At first when she would be present at meeting, she would often get strange looks and be stared at, then they would make jokes about how Hiashi was trying to raise of prodigy child. Now they don't give anything but occasional looks.

"Hinata-chan."

Hinata looked at her uncle Hizashi. He motioned her toward him.

"How are you?"

"I'm good."

He gave her a sympathetic smile, and patted her shoulder. "Watching meeting must be boring, huh?" Sorry your father makes you do this."

"It's okay." She said, aware of some business men still in the room. "I find them interesting."

Hizashi's smile grew at her lie. "C'mon, I'll get you a soda from the vending machine."

Hiashi noticed that Hizashi and his daughter walked out the conference room and toward the elevator. Hinata and Hizashi stood quiet in the elevator and rode it down two floors. None of the business men were on this floor. They walked toward the vending machine, and Hizashi bought her a green tea while getting him a milk coffee.

Hinata sipped on her green tea. Hizashi ruffled her hair, and then bent down to be on her level.

"Sorry." He said. "Forgive your father. He means well, he just doesn't know what to do right now."

Hinata felt an intense feeling quickly well up in her throat. She took another sip and tea then smiled.

"It's okay uncle. I'm okay."

He hugged her.

"It's okay to cry. You're only 10."

Hinata didn't move in his arms. He wasn't sure if she was crying on not. Hinata released herself room his arms, and smiled at him. Her eyes didn't look red or puffy.

"I'm okay." She ran back to the elevator,

He sighed. Then touched the place on his swear where her head was. He was surprised to know that it was wet, stained with her tears.

'She learning to control her tears, well, more like she learned.' Sasuke said to himself. Tears showed weakness anyway, he learned to stop crying when he was young.

Cause weakness won't get you anywhere.

Hinata walked down the hallway with an advanced math book in her hand. She could hear soft footsteps behind her, but she pretended not to notice. Hanabi attached herself to one of Hinata's legs.

"I gotchu!" Hanabi said, hugging her leg.

Hinata looked down at her sister and smiled, "You got me."

Hanabi stared at her sister shocked, she let go on Hinata's leg and stood up.

"N-Ne Hina-chan…" Hanabi started, but she didn't finish her sentence.

When Hanabi didn't answer, Hinata said, "How's school?"

Hanabi hesitated, "Ugh… Ah! It's good, my teacher told me I doing very good! The older kids are nice to me, I made thwee more fwends! And…"

Hanabi stared at her sister feeling nervousness, she looked down.

"S…Sorry Hina-chan. I have to go… do something…" Hanabi ran past Hinata. Hinata watched her run down the hallway, and turn the corner. Hinata furrowed her eyebrows.

"You were faking it, and she saw."

Hinata turned around real quick. Her cousin Neji was walking toward her. She was unaware that family was coming over to the house. She wasn't very close to Neji even though his father, Hizashi, was very supportive and kind to her. She used to see him more when they were young, but now they rarely saw each other.

"It was obvious, you were faking such your smile."

Hinata tensed up, "I wasn't faking anything."

"Well, whatever, I'm just telling you what I saw." Neji shrugged his soldiers, and walked past her toward the bathroom.

Hinata clutched her book. Feeling bad. Was she so used to fake smiling? Faking conversation? Faking happiness? That she did it to her sister, causing her sister to run away from her. Hinata walked quickly toward her room, and closed her door. She stood in front of her mirror, and smiled the same way she did at Hanabi. He was right. If you didn't know her well, you'd think nothing out it, but if you did… It'd definitely would catch you off guard. She turned away from the mirror, frustrated.

'It's not my fault. I'm not like this because I want to be. If I'm not like this.' Hinata clenched her fist. 'I'll break.'

Teaching herself not to care about what anyone said or did was a way for her to cope with the brutal world of business her father was forcing her into and her father in general. She admits she began living a colorless and emotionless life… but if not like she wanted to.

Outside in the hallway Hanabi bumped into her father. She flinched when he looked down at her.

"You know not to run in the house." He said sternly.

Hanabi looked down. Her voice shaked as she whispered, "Why did you have to mess her up…"

Then she ran off again. Hiashi's eyes widened. Then he kept on as if he heard nothing.

One tear fell from one of Hinata's eye.

'So she pushed her sister away.' Sasuke thought. He tried to remember all the times he acted like an asshole or got distant from Naruto, but the dumbass kept coming right back. 'Like some loyal dog.'

How would he had turned out if he didn't have Naruto.

"Probably even more fucked up." Sasuke said out loud. The sunlight was going down outside, ray of light from outside was shining in from the window. One shined on his face. He sighed. Was this all to her? Even though her depressing childhood was sad, it didn't faze him. Relatable or not.

Her hand twitched again. A little more this time. He stared at her face, then grinned. He laughed.

Hysterically.

Maniacally.

Ridiculously.

"Everyone does things when pushed to the limit no matter the age!" He leaned in forward and looked at her intensely.

This next memory she was showing him. Blood. Everywhere! It excited him. His own blood boiled. And she was like this at such a young age! The more he watched her memory the more he became interested in her.

"Your friends called you a survivor! Let's see how much of one are you! Being able to adapt to despair so quickly! Even I wasn't able to do that!" Sasuke's eyes turned red.

So, I wanted to tell those that comment regularly, that I really appreciate, I know who you are, and thank! Especially cause I'm always slackin on updates. I love to hear what you guys think about the chapter, or think what might happen next. It shows me someone is actually reading my story. So, once again, thank you! And please! Remember to:

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